SWT seeks applicants to Junior Summer Math Camp

SAN MARCOS, TEXAS — Children with a knack for math and a flair for the dramatic might find the fifth annual Junior Summer Math Camp at Southwest Texas State University just for them.

SWT is inviting applications for the innovative camp, which will be held June 5-16 on the university campus. The camp introduces students to mathematical concepts through the use of children‘s drama and acting, and by encouraging principles of teamwork. The camp is for students in grades three through seven and is divided into four levels.

Level I, the Mathematical Mystery Tour, is for third and fourth graders. New mathematical concepts are introduced and accompanied by a dramatic situation where students encounter a conflict that can be resolved using the principle being studied.

Level II, MathQuest, is for fourth and fifth graders and introduces students to functions, fractions, decimals and using a graphing calculator. Level III, Math Explorations, is designed for fifth and sixth graders and deals with percents, mixture problems and graphing. Levels I, II and III prepare students for algebra through class participation and teamwork.

In Level IV, Combinatorics, students study basic counting principles and discrete math, topics often overlooked in the standard high school curriculum.

The curriculum and program are co-authored by SWT’s award-winning children’s playwright and theatre arts professor Charles Pascoe, as well as SWT math faculty members Terry McCabe, Max Warshauer and Hiroko Warshauer.

Students will be enrolled in either Level I for beginning students or Level II, III or IV for returning or more experienced students. All levels meet from 9 a.m. until noon. All students receive one-year subscriptions to Math Reader (for grades 3-5) or Math Explorer (for grades 6-8), both published by the SWT Math Institute for Talented Youth.

To be eligible, students must have completed the third, fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh grade and must submit an application to SWT before April 30. Total cost of the camp is $225, which includes all supplies, a workbook, a camp T-shirt and a daily snack. Limited scholarship assistance based on need is available.